Hard Talk – Healthcare cost burden

By Nasik Swami: Payroll tax on GPs, increasing costs for GP visits, and a complicated Medicare scheme—is our health system failing our communities and the most vulnerable? Are the increasing healthcare costs becoming a deterrent for people in our district to visit a GP/doctor and seek treatment when our public hospitals are already overcrowded? Who should be held accountable for the burden of the extra healthcare costs people in country towns are facing? The Royal Australian College of GPs and the Australian Medical Association have warned the payroll tax would force clinics to pass on the cost to patients, end bulk billing, or shut down completely. In this edition of Hard Talk, The News digs deep into the much talked about GP payroll tax, the increasing cost of seeing a GP in country towns like Naracoorte, and a review of our Medicare system. We asked the SA Health Minister Chris […]

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Kybybolite takes 2026 A Grade netball crown

Kybybolite finished its season in premiership glory, powering past Keith 54–41 to secure the 2026 KNTNA A Grade title.  Angela Donnelly was named best on court after Kyby held off a determined Keith challenge to seal the title.

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Cr Dennis backs down

Naracoorte Lucindale Cr Tom Dennis has bowed to public pressure and moved to replace his controversial $5,000 to $7,000 mayoral portrait proposal with a considerably cheaper framed photograph.

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Councillors question $20,000 survey

SOME councillors raised concerns over the value and purpose of a $20,000 community survey before Naracoorte Lucindale Council agreed to proceed with it at its August meeting.

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Creek a ‘diamond in the rough’

Naracoorte Lucindale councillor Andrew Downward has backed the Naracoorte Creek weir project, arguing its long-term value to the town outweighs concerns about its short-term cost.

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Weir costs spark concern

Ratepayers have turned up the heat on the Naracoorte Creek weir project, questioning its cost, priority and transparency as debate over the controversial development spills into the community.

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ADHD care changes aim to cut waits

Patients across Naracoorte-Lucindale and the wider Limestone Coast living with ADHD could have faster access to diagnosis and treatment under changes to South Australia’s controlled substances regulations.

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